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That’s my plan.

Animal Collective + Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” = Smiles

loves it.

This past Sunday, Stephen Tribou and Dirk Miller from Rusted Root played a guest set at Discovery Urban Campus (Discovery Christian Church) in Pittsburgh’s South Side. Discovery meets at J. Verno Studios which is a photography and artist loft that hosts parties, art openings, and photo shoots.

Stephen Tribou is a talented painter and musician who plays locally throughout the city.

painting by Stephen Tribou

He performed several songs that were dark and moody in nature. Tribou often plays instrumental songs that fade from one song into another. This time, he added a layer of haunting vocals over live looping created with keyboards and guitars.

Stephen Tribou and Dirk Miller at Discovery Urban Campus:

Discovery South Side meets every Sunday night at 6:30 PM at J. Verno Studios.
J. Verno Studios, 3030 Jane Street Ext., Pittsburgh 15203. Plenty of street parking.

After the concert and service, we headed over to OTB Bicycle Cafe which happens to be my favorite bar in Pittsburgh. It is a bicycle themed cafe and bar that serves the most amazing food (love the vegan options!) and craft micro-brews. If you have been reading geekstar.com, then you know by now that I am a super fan! We packed out OTB from wall to wall!

View photos from the OTB Bicycle Cafe After Party here!

Stephen Tribou and Ryan Phipps (from Discovery) will be playing this coming Thursday June 4 at Lava Lounge in South Side.

This will be a fantastic show and a great way to kick off summer! Geekstar.com will be covering the show.

View the Lava Lounge Facebook Event Invite.

Website Links:

Stephen Tribou and The Vacant Sea

Dirk Miller and Rusted Root

Ryan Phipps Blog and Ryan Phipps Music 

Discovery Urban Campus, South Side

OTB (Over the Bar) Bicycle Cafe 

Lava Lounge

I happened to have my Canon XSI with me while in Oakland. Here are some photos from a lovely afternoon in the city. Enjoy!

(Oakland, Cathedral of Learning, Carnegie Museum, Carnegie Library, Joe MaMa’s, CMU Spring Festival, S Craig Street)

All photos © geekstar.com.

All photos © 2008 geekstar.com.

YT Cracker & MC FrontaLot © geekstar.com

MC Lars © geekstar.com

This past Saturday, I attended the MC FrontaLot, MC Lars, and YT Cracker show at Garfield Artworks in Pittsburgh. Garfield Artworks is a local art gallery that showcases local artists and hosts local and national indie shows. Geekstar.com was invited by girlie.com to cover this concert. Geekstar covering Nerdcore is an obvious fit.

I had never seen any of these artists perform live previously, so I was very excited to attend such a nerdolicious event. I came armed with my Canon XSI digital SLR camera and Flip Mino video camera. The following photos document the night.

MC FrontaLot is one of the most energetic and intense performers I have ever seen. I am such a hip hop fan and also a geek at heart. Seeing the king of nerdcore live was such a treat! FrontaLot entertained the audience with his brand of rhymes that features such topic as unattainable goth girls and Star Wars convention shenanigans. FrontaLot donned a flashlight on his head which only accentuated his robotic dance moves. Althought he is very much a white boy, FrontaLot definitely had moves and could rhyme.

I am now officially a MC Lars fan. Here is why:

1. I love all things pop culture. So does Lars.
2. The entire set was illustrated with a corresponding video backdrop. Video design at it’s finest with girls in stirrup pants, Spock, Carmen San Diego (she has really bad morals), Weird Al, and more… Lars told me he uses settings on his IPod to sync the video to his rhymes. Photos synced beautifully to his performance. (Note: have to look into this set-up…)
3. Inciting a mosh pit of geeks that was somewhat violent to “Hot Topic is not Punk”. Classic.
(I haven’t been in a mosh pit since 1996 or as my friend James says, “199sick”.  At that time, they were hard core kids. Not magic lovers. hmmm…)

MORE PHOTOS FOLLOW…

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Change is underway in Braddock as groups working with and within the community bring renewed energy to a town that many wrote off. Artists, social entrepreneurs, community organizers, urban homesteaders and others with a pioneering spirit are inspired by the town’s potential for grassroots urban renewal and are using the inherent energy in Braddock to fuel their creativity.

It is with this spirit that OBSCURAE  views the maligned town – turning a photographic eye towards the borough’s oft-overlooked beauty amidst the former grandeur and “urban blight” that Braddock has come to represent for many.

Curated by Braddock residents Jenny Fremlin and Jodi Morrison, with special guest curator John Ryan Brubaker, OBSCURAE pays homage to Braddock’s unique post industrial urban beauty. From the borough’s Victorian and industrial-era construction to particulars of its natural surroundings, each photograph captures a unique perspective of the town.

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I love this painting and want it for my house! Is that claire huxtable?

Love the tail!

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